The Pirates and Cubs are a couple of franchises that have been around forever, but the 2015 editions rank among the best they’ve ever had. According to our Elo ratings — combining their end-of-season, season-average and maximum ratings from the regular season — this is the 18th-best Pirates team ever (the best since 1991) and the 27th-best Cubs team of all time (though only the best since 2008).
To echo what will surely be a theme all night, it’s a shame one of these great teams has to see its season end tonight.
Carl Bialik
The anticipated duel between two of the NL’s best pitchers has started with two hits in two plate appearances and one run for the Cubs.
Carl Bialik
Let’s Play Three
The one-game, winner-take-all wild-card playoff is in only its fourth year, and many skeptics remain, including one of our esteemed colleagues.
I hate one game playoffs. The concept disgusts me.
So how else can we efficiently go from five teams to four in each league’s playoff?
I liked the idea my former colleague Jim Chairusmi mentioned in The Wall Street Journal earlier this week: Start with a doubleheader, and if the teams split, play a decisive third game in the other ballpark the next day.
In July, Bob Costas suggested a similar three-games-in-two-days idea, except the team with the better record gets home-field for all three games.
Neil, Rob, would you shake things up, or do you like the extra randomness of winner take all in what is already a pretty random baseball postseason?
